bloggie blog

This coming weekend, I will be in Moab with my family.

I am learning that nobody that I know in LA has ever heard of Moab. This is surprising to me. I always figure that outdoorsy stuff is widely known, but even when I follow “Moab” up with “Arches National Park” I get lots of “huh”s and blank stares of incomprehension. People, just search the word moab on Google images, and you will behold nature’s wonder.

Bought some new shoes in preparation for the trip. My local Runyon Canyon hikes will also benefit from these lightweight hiking shoes, as the old shoes are, well, old. Let’s be honest, they’re just brown cross-trainers … but oh so comfy!

P.S. If I were buying a boot, not a shoe, and were anticipating cooler weather, I would be in love with this fine, fine piece of footwear.

My sister Cynthia and I were born exactly two years apart, born on two separate April the 15th’s. She is in Indiana, I am in Los Angeles, and on this special day we both think of each other, and our parents, and the I.R.S. Happy birthday to us!

Several years ago, my friends Doug and Sarah introduced me to The Setters of Catan. With beginner’s luck, I won that night. I played it many times in Boston after that, and also with my family. I’m pretty good, but usually don’t win. So many times I’m one card, one roll, one thingy — just “this much” — from victory. Good times!

It’s been popular amongst board-games people for a while. (My people are board-games people.) Now it’s really taken off, according to this article in Wired. If you’ve played “Catan,” you’ll enjoy the article.

The real question on my mind is not addressed in this article: How do you pronounce “settlers”?

The dictionary allows two pronunciations (settler |ˈsetl-ər; ˈsetlər|), but if you use the second pronunciation and are one of those people that have a very strong glottal stop between the two syllables, you are a rube and I will take you down, bitch!